Pliers



Dec. 12, 1933.

F. D. sAYLo 1,939,574

PLIERS Filed May 2, 1932 awe/ram flawdi $720) Patented Dec. 12, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

The invention relates to electricians pliers and consists in the novel construction hereinafter set forth.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device for quickly and conveniently removing the sheathing of electrical cable of the type commonly called Rome X." Such cable may be described as a non-metallic sheathed cable and comprises two or more insulated conductors which are in turn covered with a braided sheath treated with material rendering the same flame and moisture proof.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a pair of pliers embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a cross section on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the method of removing the sheath of the conduit by means of my improved device;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary elevation of a modified construction;

Figure 5 is an end view of a modified construetion.

95 Referring now to the embodiment of the inven- .tion illustrated in Figures 1 to 3, 10 represents a pair of pliers having the two cooperating members 11 and 12 pivotally connected at 13. These members form cooperating jaws 14 and 15 on one side of the pivot 13 and the corresponding handle portions 16 and 17 on the opposite side of the pivot. The pliers are preferably provided with the bearing portions 18 and 19 respectively concentric with the pivot 13, thus permitting the opening and closing of the pliers.

In the preferred form of my invention the conduit stripping device is located on the handle side of the pivot 13 immediately adjacent the bearing portion 18. Each of the members 11 and 12 is 0 provided with an elongated recess 20 and 21 respectively substantially semi-elliptical in shape adapted when the pliers are in closed position to form a substantially elliptical shape aperture corresponding in size to the cross section of the conduit. One of the members is provided with a knife blade 22 extending inwardly into the corresponding recess and dividing the major axis of the ellipse into two equal parts. The knife blade 22 is preferably a double edged blade, the edge portions of which all lie in a plane transverse to the pliers. Thus as shown, the knife blade 22 has the oppositely curved edges 23 and 24. The knife blade extends inwardly for a suitable distance dependent upon the construction of the cable, but in the preferred form has a length slightly less than one-half the thickness of the cable.

The members 11 and-12 are provided with the stops 25 and 26 which are so arranged as to permt the opening of the pliers a sufllcient distance to insert the cable into the recess 21 opposite the knife blade 22. The pliers are thereupon closed, causing the knife blade to penetrate the sheath 27 of the cable 28 between the insulated conductors 29 and 30. The sheath may then be stripped for the desired length by drawing the pliers lengthwise of the cable, thereby causing the sheath to be separated as shown in Figure 3.

The knife blade 22 may be formed in any suitable manner but preferably the blade is a separate member inserted through a slot 31 in the member 11.

While in the preferred construction the recesses 20 and 21 are located on the handle side of the pivot closely adjacent thereto, they may if desired be located in other portions of the plier members. For example, they may be arranged on the Jaw side of the pivot as illustrated in Figure 4.. The construction shown in Figure 4 is otherwise identical to that previously described and illustrated.

It is to be noted that the cutter blade 22 is not designed to strip the insulationfrom the insulated conductors 29 and 30 within the sheathed cable but only to remove the hard sheath itself which otherwise is not conveniently removable with the ordinary implements available to the electrician.

Figure 5 shows another modification in which the cable may be slitted by a longitudinal movement of the pliers. For this purpose the jaws 14 and 15 of the pliers are provided with the laterally extending portions 35 and 36 respectively. These members are provided with senilelliptical recesses 37 and 38 adapted to engage the cable when the same is extending parallel to the pliers. A knife 39 projects inwardly into one of the recesses. The knife blade has the plane thereof extending parallel to the longitudinal 9 axis of the pliers.

What I claim as my invention is:

Pliers comprising two pivotally connected members, each having a handle portion on one side of the pivot and jaws on the opposite side thereof, said members having adjacent the pivot oppositely disposed through recesses of semielliptical cross section, together forming a transverse elliptical passage for receiving non-metallic sheathed cable of elliptical cross section and a knife blade centrally disposed in one of said recesses and having a double edge arranged in a plane transverse to the pliers, said knife blade being of a length adapted to pierce the sheath 1 5 of said cable when the pliers are closed and to clear said cable to permit the insertion of the same into the opposite recess when said pliers are open.

FRANK D. SAYLOR. 

